Iranian born photographer Shirana Shahbazi will be featured in this year’s Julius Baer lounge at Art Dubai. The Swiss bank sponsor of the fair has made great efforts in previous years not to sterilise their participation with a corporate look and feel. By bringing work from their art collection and focusing on Shahbazi in particular, makes the lounge a must see while you visit the fair.

Shahbazi, who was born in Tehran in 1974, is now based in Zurich. Her works are large and architectural in feel but she also takes some influence from portraiture. This means her photographs alternate between abstraction and representation and mostly all retain vivid colours. Be sure to check out her pieces.

The bank is also sponsoring the Art Dubai’s ongoing fellowship programme for mid-career art practitioners. Forum Fellows features discussions and workshops to help exceptional writers based in the Middle East hone their writing skills, share and debate experiences, while engaging with international editors, critics, curators and museum directors that attend the fair. We have to give the bank thumbs up for that.